Shades of Wrath

by Karen Rose Smith

  “That sounds good. I’m going to have a project out of town the first week in October, but my assistant can answer any questions you might have while I’m gone. I’ll put through the orders for the furniture. I was holding off on that before I knew for sure you were going ahead with everything.”

  Lizbeth bit her lower lip and something still seemed to be bothering her.

  “Is Mr. Silver easy to work with?” Caprice asked, wondering if that could be the problem.

  “Yes, he is. He did a lot of work for Wendy pro bono. He’s semiretired and just likes keeping his hand in. He did tell me one thing, though, that worries me.”

  “What’s that?”

  “He told me not to talk to Leona Wyatt’s two children, Scott and Doris. Apparently they’re still furious that their mother didn’t leave the whole estate to them. But he reiterated again, they didn’t have grounds to contest the will. And if they had and lost, they’d inherit nothing. So they are bitter. They can’t understand why their mother believed in Wendy’s cause, why she believed in Sunrise Tomorrow, why she believed in Wendy.”

  “Did she believe in Wendy because of the way she ran Sunrise?” Caprice asked.

  “Oh, it was much more than that. Leona took Wendy under her wing after Wendy’s divorce. They met at a luncheon at the Country Squire Golf and Recreation Club and just hit it off. I think Leona was lonely because her own children ignored her. She and Wendy developed a friendship that became really strong. Wendy was the one who took her to her doctors’ appointments. She was the one who held Leona’s hand through chemo and was by her side when she passed on. Not her children.”

  “And now they regret they didn’t do more?”

  “Goodness no,” Lizbeth said with certainty in her voice. “They’re just mad they didn’t inherit the entire fortune. They claim blood’s thicker than anything else. With some families that might be true, but Leona apparently valued loyalty and friendship as much as she did ungrateful kids. And from what I’ve heard and seen, they can be mean, so it wouldn’t surprise me at all if one of them killed Wendy.”

  Lizbeth was vehement about that, and Caprice wondered if that wasn’t where she should dig a little more. As Lizbeth drew a deep breath and tried to find her composure again, she said, “I need to give Sebastian and the boys condolences. I’ll see you inside.”

  Caprice nodded. Yes, she was going to spend a little bit more time inside too. Conversation could reveal a lot about people there. But first she was going to call Roz.

  “Hey, there,” Roz said, answering on the first ring. “Where are you?”

  “I’m at the funeral reception for Wendy.”

  “Oh, that’s tough.”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m at the dog groomer waiting for Dylan to get finished.”

  Dylan, part Pomeranian and part shih-tzu, needed periodic grooming.

  “I have a question for you,” Caprice said. “Do you know Doris and Scott Wyatt?”

  “I don’t think anyone ‘knows’ Doris and Scott Wyatt,” Roz returned in a dry voice.

  “Meaning?”

  “They’re cold, both of them. I’ve been to lots of functions around them at the Country Squire and they’re just not sociable. When I was married to Ted, he and Scott would play golf. After Ted was killed, I thought maybe Scott and Doris just didn’t want to associate with me. You know, the stigma and all? But I’ve seen them snub other people too.”

  “What can you tell me about them?”

  “Scott Wyatt is married, and his wife is quiet, younger, and seems to constantly look to him for approval. At least that’s my impression.”

  “And Doris?”

  “Doris has been married and divorced twice. She took back her maiden name after the second divorce.”

  “I wonder what the best way would be to meet them?”

  “I’m surprised you want to.”

  “I don’t necessarily want to, but I’m curious as to whether either of them would have the wherewithal to have killed Wendy.”

  “Are you going six for six?”

  It took only a moment for Caprice to figure out what Roz meant. She’d been involved in five other murder investigations. This was number six. “I’m just collecting information.”

  “In that case, I might know a convenient way for you to meet them. The Country Squire’s Masquerade Ball is next weekend. It’s not too late to buy tickets because they’re not getting the response they hoped for. Maybe people just don’t want to dress up anymore, or want to go to the expense of renting costumes. But you and Grant could dress up like a famous couple. Vince hasn’t given me his answer on going yet, but if you and Grant go, I could probably convince him. We might have a good time.”

  Yes, they might. She hadn’t spent much time with Roz lately and this would be a good opportunity. “I’ll talk to Grant about it.”

  “Sounds like a plan. Oops, I think the groomer is finished with Dylan. I’ve been thinking that he needs a buddy, so when I do have to leave him at home, he wouldn’t be so lonely.”

  “If you and Vince move into a house together, the timing could be perfect.”

  “Yes, it could. I’ll call or text you about next Saturday night. Caprice, don’t dig around too hard. I worry about you.”

  “I know you do. But you don’t have to worry this time. I’m staying on the periphery. Honest.”

  However, after she ended her call, she thought about Sebastian and his boys. They needed answers. She knew if gathering information led her deeper into motives for murder, she was going to explore them.

  Chapter Ten

  Caprice glanced at her Uncle Dom, who was guiding her and Dulcina up the back stairs to his apartment on Monday evening. Apparently he was eager to show off the place to Dulcina. Either that or he wanted to reassure her the kittens were settling in. And the timing had worked out perfectly. She and Dulcina had signed up for a yoga class at Green Tea Spa that began at seven-thirty.

  Caprice wasn’t exactly sure why she was here. She sensed there was a liking between Uncle Dom and Dulcina. Maybe he didn’t know if he was ready to date, or maybe he was concerned Dulcina wasn’t ready to date and that’s why he’d asked Caprice along too. When she’d gotten his call, she’d been surprised but pleased he wanted to show off his new digs.

  The deck at his door was large enough for two lawn chairs with a small wrought-iron table set between them. They were Adirondack-style and bright blue. Caprice approved.

  Her uncle winked at her. “What do you think?”

  “I think you can watch the sunrise in style.”

  He laughed. “Believe it or not, lots of mornings I’m awake for it. Somebody likes to bite my toes.”

  This time Dulcina laughed. “That must be Tia.”

  “Yes, it is. I thought about closing the kittens in a room of their own at night, but it just didn’t seem quite fair. The first night I let them out because I thought they needed the comfort. The second night, I realized I missed them if they weren’t with me.”

  He opened the door and motioned them inside.

  Dulcina hadn’t said much on the ride over and Caprice thought she might be a little nervous, or maybe anxious about how the kittens were faring.

  But as soon as they crossed her uncle’s threshold, Tia and Mason came running.

  Uncle Dom motioned to the door hanger—leather with sleigh bells. He rustled it and the bells jingled. The kittens backed away from the door.

  “I don’t want to take any chances that they’re going to get out, so the bells are training them to stay away from the door. It seems to be working.”

  They walked through the galley-sized kitchen with its small table for two and entered the living room. The kittens had chased each other to the top of a cat condo positioned in front of a window.

  Dulcina went right over to pet them. They must have remembered her because they butted their heads against her hand and let her stroke them. Mason stretched out and Tia sat prettily.

&nbs
p; “Are you two being good?” she asked them.

  “As long as they’re entertained,” Uncle Dom said with a wry smile. “They’re good company for each other. I play with them three or four times a day. That seems to satisfy them.” He motioned to a length of brown packing paper on the floor. “They love chasing their toy mice on that and hiding underneath it. I think it’s the sound.”

  “I’ll have to try that with Paddington and Halo,” Dulcina decided.

  “Can I get you something to drink? I have iced tea, convenience-store-made.”

  “That sounds good,” Caprice said, and Dulcina nodded too.

  Her uncle went into the kitchen to fetch it.

  Caprice noticed Dulcina looking around at the green and burgundy plaid nubby-material couch, at the oversized recliner positioned for the best view of the flat-screen TV. There was a clover-leaf table at one end of the sofa that Caprice thought looked like an antique. The coffee table was a small cedar chest.

  When her uncle returned to the living room, he set napkins on the chest to put under their glasses. Caprice motioned to the table. “That looks like an antique I saw in Isaac’s shop.”

  “I found it at Older and Better,” her uncle responded. “Isaac gave me a good deal because you two are friends. He has some nice furniture in there and his prices are reasonable.”

  “He likes to move his merchandise, so he doesn’t overprice it. And he’s honest.”

  “He seems to be. I was going to go to the thrift store, but I stopped there first. I bought a headboard for my bed and a dresser. I figure I’ll furnish the place slowly and pick the pieces one by one.”

  “That’s a great idea,” Caprice agreed.

  Her uncle shrugged and looked at Dulcina. “The divorce pretty much wiped me out. When the financial services company I worked for downsized and I lost my job, that led to the downfall of the marriage.”

  “How long were you married?” Dulcina asked.

  “Twelve years, but most of them weren’t happy ones. I was just too stupid to admit it . . . or too proud.”

  “Did you know your wife a long time before you got married?” Dulcina asked.

  “No, I didn’t. Mistake number one.”

  “Maybe, maybe not,” Dulcina said. “I didn’t know Johnny long before I married him, but we just knew it was right. Relationships are complicated.”

  “I suppose,” Uncle Dom agreed, sitting on the sofa and motioning to the recliner. Dulcina picked up Tia and took her along with her to the recliner.

  Tia let her pet her for about a minute; then she hopped onto the arm and climbed up the back.

  “I guess the older you get, the more you realize what the warning signs are,” Dom went on. “I didn’t realize Ronnie respected my job more than she respected me, that she liked the idea of a nice car more than the idea of children. She didn’t want anything to do with my family, when all they wanted was to get to know her. I thought she’d change and grow into a warmer person. But that never happened.”

  “I’m not sure anyone can change their innate nature,” Dulcina said. “As much as I want to be an extrovert, I never will be. I like working at home. I like having meaningful conversations instead of surface ones. And sometimes I like cats more than I like humans.”

  Uncle Dom laughed. “I suppose I’m social by nature. I miss not going to an office and having other people to talk to during the day. On the other hand, I have the best of both worlds right now. The pet-sitting and bookkeeping are both home-based businesses. I have to work around the pet-sitting, but I can set my own hours with the bookkeeping. The spare bedroom is my office.”

  Uncle Dom looked a bit anxious for a few moments; then he looked Dulcina straight in the eye. He said, “Caprice told me you broke up with the man you attended the concert with.”

  “He wasn’t willing to let me be around his daughters more. I’m not exactly sure why. The older one was resisting him dating me, and he could have been waiting for her to come around. But he wouldn’t include me in their activities. It just wasn’t working.”

  “Are you still hurting from the breakup?” her uncle asked.

  “Not as much as I should be.” Dulcina’s hands fluttered. “That didn’t come out right. I guess our breakup didn’t hurt as much as it could have because I wasn’t as invested as I thought I was.”

  Caprice was remaining unusually quiet because she could see dynamics at work here. Whether her uncle and Dulcina knew it or not, they were sharing on a level that didn’t happen after just a first or second or third meeting. Something was brewing. She found that she liked that idea. Her uncle needed someone in his life and so did Dulcina.

  Mason ran off down the hall, and Uncle Dom said, “He’s probably going up to the third floor to watch the birds. Do you want to see what I’ve done with the place?”

  When Tia jumped off the back of the chair and ran after her brother, Dulcina agreed, “Sure.”

  “I took the door off so they could go up and down as much as they wanted. There’s another cat condo up there, a few rugs, more brown paper, and lots of toys. They carry them up and down. Come on, I’ll show you the view from the third floor.”

  Caprice followed her uncle and Dulcina, smiling all the way. You never knew when something might work out for the best. She was just glad it sometimes did.

  * * *

  Dulcina had been quiet as Caprice drove to the Green Tea Spa for their yoga class. They’d both signed up by phone and intended to go to the class that wasn’t progressive. It was rather a refresher exercise each time they would attend. From what the receptionist had told Caprice, the poses were basic and the class would concentrate on breathing, stretching, and relaxation. Who didn’t need all those in her life?

  They grabbed their duffel bags. Dulcina had wanted to wear street clothes to visit Uncle Dom, then change at the spa. Caprice had agreed to make Dulcina feel more comfortable.

  As they walked in the door of the Green Tea Spa, the first thing their gazes went to was a black fountain dripping water down at least five shelves, each a different size. Soft instrumental music played in the background without a distinctive melody. The reception area was painted a dreamy green, somewhere between aqua and seafoam. Ergonomic furniture, upholstered in shades of blue, surrounded large hassocks where anyone waiting could put up their feet and relax.

  The receptionist sat at a Plexiglas desk that looked as if it were floating in air. It wasn’t, of course, and it housed a computer. The effect it gave to the space was light, airy, in keeping with the décor. A metal sculpture of a yin-yang symbol hung on one wall. Another wall held a grouping of photographs from the purple and blues of a beautiful Grand Canyon shot to the red rocks of Sedona, Big Sur, and the rocky shore of Maine. All places of power in Caprice’s estimation.

  After they told the receptionist why they were there, she directed them to a dressing room, explaining their class would take place in the room next door.

  As they went inside, Dulcina said, “Tia and Mason seem very happy with your uncle.”

  “Yes, they do. They have each other, and now they’re bonding with him.” That was easy to see.

  Dulcina suddenly stopped and took Caprice’s arm. “Do you really think your uncle wouldn’t mind if I visit?”

  “He said you could come whenever you’d like.”

  Dulcina shook her head. “I know, but sometimes people say things just to be nice.”

  “I think Uncle Dominic had too many years of just being nice and not saying his mind. That didn’t make him happy. From the moment he decided to come to Kismet and reunite with his family, I think he had a new outlook. He’s always been completely honest with me, and I have a feeling he would be with you too. Are you interested in visiting him or the kittens?” Caprice teased.

  Dulcina blushed. “I like him.”

  Her uncle was about the same age as her neighbor—maybe a year or two older. “Would you like me to hint to him that you’d like to be invited over for a date?”


  “Absolutely not,” Dulcina protested in practically a whisper. “I’ll give it a couple of weeks and then I’ll call him. No harm in that, right?”

  “No harm in that,” Caprice agreed.

  They quickly changed into yoga wear in the dressing room. Caprice’s slouch pants were flowered in lime green and turquoise, her loose cardigan the same color turquoise. When she didn’t wear vintage, she wore color. Dulcina’s outfit was navy.

  As they entered the room where women were already positioned on yoga mats, Caprice spotted Rena Hurley, who waved and grinned.

  Immediately, Evelyn Miller crossed to them. “I saw your names on the list. Hi, Caprice. And you’re Dulcina?”

  Evelyn extended her hand and Dulcina took it. “Yes, I am. I’ve mostly done yoga videos at home after a class years ago.”

  “No problem,” Evelyn said, and Caprice had a feeling she said that a lot. She waved to the back of the room where mats, a few duffel bags, and purses sat. “Just pick up a mat and find a space on the floor. We’re ready to start. Think of this room as your safe haven where you leave all your thoughts and any problems outside the door. Here you’re just going to concentrate on being in the moment.”

  Like a cat, Caprice thought, but didn’t say it out loud because Evelyn would probably think she was crazy.

  Caprice picked up a mat and placed it beside Rena’s, introducing the receptionist from Sunrise to Dulcina.

  Rena explained, “I come to Evelyn’s class here to get away from work. She’s good. You’ll enjoy it.”

  The other women in the room were welcoming, too, as Caprice and Dulcina found their places on their mats.

  Class began with an alternate nostril breathing exercise. That progressed into the participants doing warm-up exercises—forward and back bends, seated forward bends and arm swings. Caprice had heard yoga called meditation in motion. She tried to empty her mind of everything but her breath and moment-to-moment body movement. Posture and breathing went hand in hand. Evelyn reminded them to breathe through their nose, not their mouths.